The NEGRC has been in existence for 47 years and is the only 12-county regional planning commission in Georgia. The staff offers a broad range of services to Northeast Georgia municipalities.

Assisting local governments with comprehensive plans, Devine manages an eclectic list of projects pertaining to environmental, transportation and growth management issues on a local and regional scope.

"You get to know the nuts and bolts of the community that you're working with," said Devine. "That's what planning is all about - helping a community or figuring out what they want and how to get it."

Born in upstate New York, Devine later moved to Austin, Texas, to be closer to his wife's family. There he completed his master's degree in community and regional planning. Following his wife's pursuit of her Ph.D., he moved to Athens, taking his position with the NEGRC.

Noting the importance of public involvement to a community, Devine devotes his time to a number of community groups including the Athens-Clarke SPLOST Citizens Advisory Committee, Athens Canine Rescue, the Chicopee-Dudley Neighborhood Association and the Oconee Rivers Greenway Commission.

"We love Athens. It's a great mix of opportunities in a city with a small-town feel," Devine said. "It's fantastic to have a wonderful urban park within a block of our house, a greenway and a river right there, and downtown a 20-minute walk away - not sure we could find that anywhere else."

College background: Bachelor’s degree of arts in environmental studies in geology, Washington and Lee University, 2000; master’s degree in community and regional planning, University of Texas at Austin, 2002

Favorite movie: “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?” “No Country for Old Men” and “The Lives of Others”

Favorite musical group: Phish, The Beatles, Radiohead

If you were the chief elected official of your community what immediate changes would you make? I’d strengthen communication between the government and citizens/neighborhoods, and I’d request an analysis of the roles of the mayor, commissioners and staff to evaluate and improve work flow.

How would you address poverty in a county like Athens-Clarke where the poverty rate is so high? Long term, we need to create an environment that nurtures small businesses and stimulates entrepreneurism, educates and trains our work force for appropriate fields, and attracts quality, clean, and community-supportive industry; we also must look to the historical, institutional and social roots of poverty. In the meantime (short term), our efforts should focus on matching appropriate existing services — job placement, education, health care, transportation, etc. — to the people who really need them, while trying to fill in whatever gaps exist. So, for now, we need to treat the symptoms of poverty, but down the road, we need to look at how to alleviate the causes.